What is it like to be autistic?

Several weeks ago my friend Hope and I were talking about Wilder, and she asked me if Wilder was able to make any friends at school. I told her that Wilder didn't have quite that level of emotional sophistication yet--he's still in a state where he's learning to enjoy the company of other people. I was reminded of this conversation by something Wilder's psychiatrist mentioned recently--that people with autism view the world in a vastly different way from neurotypical people. If you are interested in getting a better idea of how autistic people experience the world, there are at least two really good books out there that open a window into that experience. One is Temple Grandin's Thinking in Pictures: My Life With Autism, a memoir of sorts written by a woman with autism. The other is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon. It's a novel for young adults told from the perspective of a 15-year-old boy with autism. The author is not autistic, but he worked with autistic youths for many years and created his main character from his experiences. I found this book especially helpful in trying to understand Wilder, even though he's much younger than the main character. For a much lighter (and probably less accurate) portrayal of a character with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), watch an episode of The Big Bang Theory on NBC, Mondays at 7:30 PM MST. The character of Sheldon displays a lot of typical ASD signs: difficulty interpreting figurative language, an obsessive desire for routine and order, and difficulty relating to people and understanding subtle social cues. Sheldon's peculiarities make him the butt of a lot of jokes, but overall he's portrayed in a genuine, humane, and likeable way. Mike and I always enjoy this show because we see elements of our many "geeky" friends (and our geeky selves) in the characters and the situations the show portrays.